1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to golf flag pins, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a collapsible support assembly, with extendable and retractable legs, which is adaptable for use on a golf flag pin.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For the past decade or so, golf has made a reemergence, particularly in the United States, as an extremely popular sport. The concept of the game is fairly simple. A player begins the game by teeing up his golf ball and driving it down the fairway toward the green. The intent is to hit the ball into a recessed hole, which is strategically located on the green. Ultimately, the player's objective is to hit the ball into the hole in the least amount of shots possible, so ideally, the player would like to hit the ball into the hole on the first try, but this rarely occurs.
Because the distance from the tee to the hole is usually quite long, the golf course places a golf flag pin in the hole, so that the player will be able to aim at a visible target. Typically, when the ball finally reaches the green the player removes the golf flag pin, places it onto the green and attempts to putt the ball into the hole. As stated before, the goal is to hit the ball into the hole in the fewest possible strokes. Because a typical eighteen-hole golf course has a par rating of seventy-two (a player can only hit the ball seventy-two times during the game to stay at par), putting is an essential part of the game due to the accuracy and precision it takes to hit the ball into the hole.
Many factors make putting a more difficult task than it appears to be at first glance. For instance, the player must consider the slope of the green, the speed at which the ball will travel on the green and the intended line of travel of the ball, to name a few. With these already built-in obstacles to the green, the player typically wants to avoid any other additional hazards during his putting. Thus, a player desires a smooth and uniformed green to putt on. However, this is not always the case because, as mentioned before, a player will remove the golf flag pin and place it onto the green prior to putting. Many times the player is not considerate and will throw the golf flag pin onto the green instead of gently placing the pin onto the green. This inconsiderate act usually causes many gouges on the green, creating a bumpy and difficult green to putt on for the next player by disturbing the line of travel of the ball to the hole.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a golf flag pin, which is capable of being self-supported above the surface of the green so as to eliminate the amount of damage to the green due to inconsiderate players dropping the golf flag pin onto the green and causing gouges.
A prior art search directed to the subject matter of this application in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed the following Letters Patent:                U.S. Pat. Nos. 663,761, 6,029,599 5,482,247, 6,955,609 5,492,430, 7,004,104 5,884,881        
In addition to the above issued prior art utility patents, there was also found U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0102414 dated Jun. 5, 2003 to Smart and 2004/0198527 dated Oct. 7, 2004 to Hsieh.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,609 to Harry F. Hiltner, Jr. et al. discloses a golf club and golf pin stand which includes a main body support bracket and a pair of leg members (FIG. 1) which, when attached to a golf pin, supports the golf pin above the ground in a tripod configuration. The main body support bracket is adapted to be connected to the shaft of the golf pin. The leg members are pivotally attached to the main body support bracket and move freely relative thereto between a retracted position when the golf pin is in a vertical position and an extended position when the golf pin is in a horizontal position.
Further, the patent to Hiltner, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,599 teaches a golf pin stand device having a connector and a pair of leg members which, when attached to a golf pin, supports the golf pin above the ground in a tripod configuration. The connector is adapted to be connected to the shaft of the golf pin. The leg members are pivotally attached to the connector between a retracted position when the pin is in a vertical position and an extended position when the pin is in a horizontal position.
Furthermore, there is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0102414 to Smart a collapsible support which includes extendable and retractable arms and legs for generating an uncollapsed and collapsed state. In the uncollapsed state, the support can be placed on most types of surfaces in an upright position to support a golf club or other items by leaning the item against the arms or hanging the item from the arms. In the collapsed state, the arms and legs are substantially parallel and adjacent to the support's body and is thus easily transported or stored. Additionally, the support includes an arm attachment assembly, which is attached to the body, and a leg attachment assembly, which is attached to the body, both operable to extend and retract the respective arms and legs. There is also provided a biasing member (spring) to bias the arms and legs in a retracted position, an actuating member to extend the arms and legs, and a locking mechanism to lock the arms and legs in the extended position.
In particular as shown in FIG. 3, the leg attachment assembly includes a moving leg ring, which is attached to an inner tube, a fixed leg ring, which is attached to an outer tube, and leg links each having a leg end pivotally attached to the leg and a ring end pivotally attached to the fixed leg ring. The spring can be compressed between the moving leg ring and the fixed leg ring.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 663,761 to Johnson discloses a supporting attachment for a golf-flag which includes two corresponding arms having their outer ends bent upwardly to form feet so as to prevent the ends of the arms from being caught in the turf. The inner ends of the arms are secured to a sleeve-like swivel, which is arranged to turn freely between the collars, which are disposed on the ends of a sleeve.
The remaining patents, listed above but not specifically discussed, are deemed to be only of general interest and show the state of the art in golf pin stands.
Although the prior art discussed above attempt to support a golf flag pin, when not in the hole, above the surface of the green, many of the devices are heavy, awkward to use and present the problem of pinching fingers when engaging the device. Further, none of the prior art discussed above discloses a collapsible support assembly, adaptable for use with a golf flag pin, with an actuating sheath member, operable to extend retractable legs so as to support the pin above the surface of the green.